Migraines can often worsen in frequency and severity during the summer, and it’s really heated up in the past week or so! Learn a few natural ways to avoid getting a migraine.

This month’s heat has been one for the record books. Trying to prevent migraines can be especially difficult for some people during hot and humid weather. Thankfully, there are a number of strategies you can use to avoid getting migraines as frequently and severely as normal – even during the summer heat.

Learn to Avoid Personal Migraine Triggers

Start a headache diary to track everything about your headaches. Write down when they occur (day and time), how long they last, their severity, and details about the situation in which symptoms began (Loud or quiet? Light or dark? Hot or cold? etc.). In addition, jot down the food and beverages you consumed prior to the onset of symptoms.

Creating a headache diary can help you track and identify your personal triggers. Once you begin to notice a pattern, you can begin avoiding the foods, temperatures and situations that tend to aggravate or launch your pain.

In addition to keeping track of the circumstances of the day and time of your migraines, also pay attention to less obvious potential triggers. Some common migraine triggers include the following:

• Irregular sleep patterns, or too much or too little sleep
• Stressful situations at home or at work
• Strenuous or high-intensity exercise
• Feeling tired all the time
• Hunger and dehydration

Once you can identify your own primary triggers, be sure you act to avoid them. For instance, set a strict bedtime and morning alarm (and stick to it – even on weekends!). To avoid hunger as a trigger, eat within an hour of waking and eat at least every three hours throughout the day. Review your daily diet and try to eat more nuts, spinach and soya beans.

Feverfew – a natural way to control the onset of migraines

Around nine million of us in the UK suffer from migraines – that throbbing ache that usually settles on one side of the head and can go on for days. Changes in brain chemistry that cause blood vessels surrounding the brain to widen and then narrow are thought to be the cause of migraines. Hot, humid weather, stress, hormonal factors such as periods and the menopause, eating foods such as cheese, chocolate and alcohol are common triggers.

When it comes to herbal remedies Feverfew is a firm favourite. You can take Feverfew as a daily supplement. You need to take it regularly as a preventative as it can take several weeks before you start to feel the benefits.

No one knows for sure how Feverfew works but it’s thought that its leaves contain substances with inflammatory properties, which can help ease constriction of blood vessels in the brain – thought to be a major factor in migraines.

Feverfew is found in MigraHerb, a traditional herbal remedy used for the prevention of migraine headaches for people who have a doctor’s diagnosis for this condition. It has been shown to both reduce the number of migraine attacks and lessen the severity of symptoms. For more information and special offers visit www.migraherb.co.uk. Always read the label.